Abstract
Lipid antigens trigger help from natural killer T cells (NKT cells) for B cells, and direct conjugation of lipid agonists to antigen profoundly augments antibody responses. Here we show that in vivo, NKT cells engaged in stable and prolonged cognate interactions with B cells and induced the formation of early germinal centers. Mouse and human NKT cells formed CXCR5+ PD -1 hi follicular helper NKT cells (NKTFH cells), and this process required expression of the transcriptional repressor Bcl-6, signaling via the coreceptor CD28 and interaction with B cells. NKTFH cells provided direct cognate help to antigen-specific B cells that was dependent on interleukin 21 (IL-21). Unlike T cell-dependent germinal centers, those driven by NKTFH cells did not generate long-lived plasma cells. Our results demonstrate the existence of a Bcl-6-dependent subset of NKT cells specialized in providing help to B cells.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 35-43 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nature Immunology |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2012 |